While the S&P 500 closed at record highs (and VIX near record lows), Marc Faber says the“momentum sell-off has caused serious internal damage to the market,” with many of the most-loved and most-levered stocks down 30-50%. Interestingly Faber warns that if bond bears are correct and rates rise to 4% then stock prices “will really tumble.” But it is China that worries him the most. Faber warns that Chinese growth figures are a fallacy and that “if one analyzes the data carefully” it is clear that “China is growing at most 4%” and given the“gigantic credit bubble” the outlook is not hopeful as the sharp deceleration in growth is likely to continue. Faber also has strong words for Western nations treatment of the rest of the world and “the US will have to back off.. because China is so important.”

“Momentum Sell-off has caused internal market damage”

“Gigantic credit bubble in china”

Full Interview (well worth the price of admission):

Western nations don’t realize “you can’t treat other nations the way you treated them in the 19th Centrury… China is so large and so important to its neighbors that the US will have to back off”

“People think they know what the future holds… and what Central banks are up to.. they don’t… I will never sell my gold and I buy more every month… I would not be short gold”